Marc-Andre ter Stegen may miss Barcelona's goalkeeper in the upcoming Rayo Vallecano match due to injury, according to Mundo Deportivo.
Stegen suffered severe back pain during his first days in the German national team camp, which led to him being excluded from playing in the friendly matches of Turkey and Austria.
Although the first news was reassuring, confirming that the goalkeeper is not suffering from a serious injury, he will most likely miss the match with Rayo Vallecano and is still experiencing some pain.
Stegen was unable to participate in Barcelona's training on Tuesday and Wednesday, and Xavi Hernandez does not intend to risk him against Rayo if his pain continues, so that he can protect the Catalan club's lair in the most important match against Porto in the Champions League.
Barcelona's defeat by Shakhtar in the fourth round of the group stage sparked the struggle to qualify for the round of 16, after Porto tied with the Blaugrana with 9 points each, while the Ukrainian club reached the sixth point two rounds before the end.
Xavi prefers to rely on the 31-year-old Stehen in the decisive match against Porto and rest him against Rayo if necessary, given the lack of experience of Iñaki Peña, who has not yet played any match this season with Barca.
Stegen's final position in the match is scheduled to be determined on Thursday, and if he does not participate in training as well, he will be excluded from the Rayo match scheduled for next Saturday in the Spanish capital, Madrid.
It is noteworthy that Barcelona regained Frenkie de Jong after his injury, which kept him out for the last two months, but lost the services of Gavi for a long period after he suffered a cruciate ligament tear with the Spanish national team during the past international break.
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